Fire of the Tribe
by Mountain Sky
Summary: Katara and Sokka aren't the only teens in the Southern Water Tribe. Blessing happens in many ways. Thank Tui and La for Kai and Agni's blessing.
1. Chapter 1

Katara and Sokka weren't the only children their age in the Southern Water Tribe. This is what I discovered as I was wandering the igloos the day after we got back to the village, and Katara had said that it was fine to go into the igloos as long as I didn't touch anything. I was wandering between igloos when a sudden fit of coughing came from the entrance of one and I cautiously enter, half expecting to see some old person. I find the person inside turned away from me and bent over a bowl as something dripped into it.

"Hello," I say softly, trying not to startle whoever it was. The person turns, the hood of their parka falling off to reveal hair the color of a dark fire poppy in one braid. Then I see the eyes, that were indescribable in any way other than magnificent, an ever-changing shifting burnt orange color.

"Hello," she smile at me, whipping something from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.

"You must be Aang. Come, sit," she says beckoning as the pulls the bowl off the table. "My name is Amoe. So why have you wandered to my igloo?"

"Ah," I say, rubbing the back of my head as I watch her get out herbs for tea and cups. "I was just wandering, and Katara said it was okay to go into any igloo as long as I didn't touch anything. I came in yours because I heard you coughing, and I wondered who you were."

"Ah," she smiles as the pours water from the kettle over the fire in the middle. "Honesty, a good quality. I am Amoe, an orphan adopted by the Southern Water Tribe, soon to be wed to my brother Hai."

"You're going to marry your brother?" I ask, calm for some reason despite this unnerving fact. I accept the steaming tea from Amoe.

"Yes," Amoe said as she blew on her tea. "While Sokka and Katara have the resources to look for partners outside of the clan. But as strays, it is easier on the Tribe for us to marry each other, as we are the only ones of our age other than Sokka and Katara."

"Amoe, I'm home!" a boy's voice calls from the entrance suddenly, making me jump. "I caught a lot of fish this time, so I managed to keep two whole ones for us this time."

"Hai," Amoe says, standing and hugging someone in the entry hall of the igloo. "We have a guest, so why don't you greet him and get another?"

"A guest? Sure," the boy says and he steps into the light to reveal his black hair, cut like Sokka's, and one eye identical to his sisters', one the color of a stagnant green pond.

"Hello, you must be Aang," Hai says. "I'm Hai of the Southern Water Tribe."

"Nice to meet you," I reply. I blush as I watch Hai wrap an arm around Amoe and quickly kiss her on the lips.

"Start those fish, I can eat mine under cooked," Hai calls behind him as he walks out. Amoe smiles and turns to the fish, pulling out her ulu to start cutting the fish.

"So why isn't it that bad still though?" I ask.

"Well, he's my brother, so we know each other. I'm not being forced into a loveless marridge, and like I said, we're orphans, so we've known about this for as long as we can remember, and the adults always encouraged us to love each other in more of the way that would be wanted," she said with a smile before her face turned so I could just barely see the frown.

"_But I won't be with him long,_" Amoe mutters as the puts the slices of fish on sticks and hangs the over the fire. I pretend not to hear.

* * *

I don't own Avatar: TLA.


	2. Chapter 2

My head jerks up suddenly as a flare bursts into the sky, clearly visible from where I'm packing snow with Sokka. My teet grit as realise that it was coming from the direction of the frozen war ship. My heart pounds as I hear Sokka sound the horn signaling a gathering. The whole village excluding Hai and I are gathered by the time Katara and Aang get back. I pear out of the entrance to my igloo as Sokka yells at the two before pointing at the entrance. Though I can't hear much, I can tell that Sokka was ordering Aang out of the village and I watch him call Appa and ride out of the village, every step away making the sinking sensation in my stomach worse.

I continue to watch as he passes Hai's canoe in the distance, and the speed at which Hai paddles after before I turn. I quickly start pulling things out from their storage places; the warriors outfit out from next to the doorway, the paint pots out from the wall behind Hai's bedroll. I quickly grab the water kettle from over the fire, and after ducking outside to put a bunch of snow into it, I pour it into the paint pots and grab the brushes from where they had been in the storage space, and quickly start mixing the paint back into it's liquid form. when Hai gets back, I hand him the cooling cup of tea and start pulling his clothes off. He finishes the tea in a few gulps and helps me.

"Did Aang talk to you?" I ask into the silence as I help wrap the top. Hai nods as I pull the paint pots over and start on his face. "Stay safe."

Hai looks back, then holds his arms out. I run towards him and hug him, squeezing my eyes shut against the tears as he wraps me into a warm hug. After a moment, he steps back and I lower my face.

"Amoe look up," he says, and slowly I do, to see him get closer to me. He stops inches away from my face. "I love you, silly. I'll be fine."

Then he kisses me quickly before running towards the front gate. I press my fingers to my tingling lips as tears steak down my face before I turn and slowly walk back to the tent, looking up slightly as the grey ash starts to fall from the sky and the ice starts to quake. I shiver and pull my hood up, turning just under the entrance to my igloo, I lean against the wall and watch as every one hurries inside while Sokka stays on the wall and my brother in the middle of the village. Suddenly the shadow of a huge war ship looms over the wall as the wall starts to crumble and I smile bitter-sweetly as I hear Sokka say, "Oh man!"

A burst of steam emerges from the ship as my brother runs up to Sokka and pulls him further back. Just as they stop moving, the front of the ship comes down and three fire nation soldiers come out. My brother holds Sokka back from foolishly charging at them or throwing his boomerang.

"Where are you hiding him?" demands the one in front, his voice carrying easily over the ice in the silence. He suddenly pulls Gran-Gran from Katara. "He'd be about this age, master of all elements."

He throws Gran-Gran back at Katara in our silence and sends a wave of fire over the head of the women and children as Sokka struggles against Hai. "Where is he? I know you're hiding him!"

Sokka manages to break free of Hai and runs at the fire bender with a yell, but is thrown into the air, dropping his club. He rolls just in time to dodge a blast of fire and throw his boomerang at the fire bender.

"Stop it!" Hai yells and runs forward to restrain Sokka again.

"Why?" Sokka demands. I smile as I make out _'Just wait'_ from reading Hai's lips. I look down as some thing moves in my pocket.


	3. Chapter 3

One corner of my mouth turns up as I see something glint in the sky. The smirk turns into a full blown smile as Sokka's boomerang flies out of no where to hit the scarred teen in front of us. The teen grits his teeth and two daggers of fire seem to emerge in his hands but I still hold Sokka back from trying to get his boomerang. I tilt slightly so I can see Amoe in the tent and smile as I see her pulling Chara out of her pocket. I smile as Aang knocks the fire bender off his feet as he comes in riding a seal-penguin. The kids cheer as Aang rides past, with a slight pause as he showers them with snow. He stops in front of us.

"He Sokka. Hey Hai," he says.

"Hi Aang, nice for coming," Sokka says as I help him up.

"Nice to see you," I nod at him. The fire benders that the teen brought start to circle around Aang as he turns. Aang takes a deep breath and sends then flying back with bursts of wind from his staff that send snow at them.

"Lookin' for me?"

"You're the air bender?" the teen asks increuosly as the snow melts off him. "You're the Avatar?"

"Aang?"

"I've spent years training for this. You're just a child."

"Well you're just a teenager," Aang replies. The fire bender sends several bursts of fire at him and he fends them off even as the villagers scream.

"If I come with you, will you promise to stop attacking this village and leave everyone alone?" Aang asks. My eyes widen as I realise that Amoe won't stand for this, but even as I turn, her blazing hair is flowing as she stands in front of Aang.

"You won't touch him!" she says, arms spread in front of Aang.

"Amoe -" Aang starts, but she turns, and I catch the edge of her glare and flinch.

"Silence," she hisses. I notice that Chara's still on her shoulder..

"Amoe - Chara," I say and she looks to the fire lizard on her shoulder and puts Chara back into her pocket.

"Who are you?" demands the teen.

"I's rude not to tell your name first," Amoe snaps at him. I wince. This is the most acidic I've ever seen her, and I have the feeling that's not good. I silently walk to her side as she apraises him. "You look like a noble at least. You should know manners."

"I'm Zuko, thought why I should need manners for ignorant peasant scum escapes me," the teen sneers.

"I"m Amoe of the Southern Water Tribe," my sister says with a mocking curtsy. "And why have you come?"

Zuko wrinkles his nose and replies. "I was coming for the Avatar, who had surrendered nicely before you got here."

"Well you should be leaving then, shouldn't you? He's under this village's protection," Amoe said. I set a hand on her shoulder and she leans toward me.

"You gonna show them?" I ask, and she laughs.

"Of course," she whispers back. I smile.

"Guards, capture the Avatar and those two in front of him," Zuko ordered as he backed away. suddenly Amoe stiffened.

"Change of plans," she whispers in my ear. I smile and turn to hold a hand out to Aang.

"Come on," I tell him. He hesitantly takes my hand. I grasp Amoe's hand, and with a deep breath, the three of us are running up the gang plank yelling.


	4. Chapter 4

For a moment, everything except for the two crazy insane, maniac, did I mention crazy people who were dragging me _onto a fire nation ship._

The chaos broke out as Sokka and Hai started yelling back and fourth, with Zuko yelling at his men, and those men yelling back as they ran up to the boat after us.

"Hi Uncle!" the two water tribe siblings chorus as we run past an old man with a pot and cup of tea. "Bye Uncle!"

Suddenly they pull me into a dark room and footsteps follow us. No lights come on, but Hai pull me closer, and and I feel his breath on my ear, making it hard for me not to squirm away.

"Don't worry, we'll be escaping tonight. This person's just helping us," Hai says, his breath blowing in my ear. I shiver and squirm away. There's a rustling before a strip of cloth is pressed into my hand. "Wear it as a blind fold."

I squirm away from Hai and quickly pull the cloth over my eyes. I feel Hai pull me towards him again, but luckily he just pulls me to his other side. His hand grasps mine, and another hand grasps my right hand.

"Don't worry Aang," Amoe says into my ear. "He's just binding us with twine, and that's nearly cut through. You'll be fine."

These words are the only thing that keep me relaxed as our hands were lifted and bound together.

Then Amoe was tugging me and I blindly stumbled after he and into the corridor, to find that the 'blind fold' was mostly see through. Ahead of us the fire nation soldier leads us to a room, using a key to open it, the door was only bars and led us inside. He silently tied us to the ring in the wall and after pushing Hai and I in, he stepped out and closed the door throwing Hai the key. Not a word was spoken as the soldier's footsteps faded away, by suddenly Hai let of a bark of laughter.

"What is it?" I ask curiously as I push my staff at him. He leans it against the wall before he speaks.

"I just realised that Katara and Sokka are probably going to try and break you out this afternoon."

There's a moment of silence before we all laugh.

* * *

I jolt from my sleep as something rocks the boat. I exchange glances with Hai and Amoe, and we each break the twine wrapped around our limbs and pull our blind-folds off. I pause for half a second behind the other two to grab my staff before I'm running after them. We run through empty halls and up the stairs to find that Katara was on Appa trying to do something to the ship with her water bending a Sokka guided Appa.

"Hey Katara!" I yell, using my air bending to amplify my voice. Katara brightens up and yells somthing at Sokka who's already guiding Appa towards us.

". . . and scary fire nation soldiers," I add weakly as all the soldiers on the deck turn. They all seem to connect using some sot of hive - mind thing, before that rush at us, yelling simeltaniously.

"Note to self," I mumble as I dodge yet _another_ flaming punch. "Don't yell around creepy fire benders."

I turn slightly to catch a glimpse of Amoe and Hai's fight, and almost get hit by; you guessed it, _another_ fiery fist. My attention is olny half on my fight as I watch Amoe and Hia flight with their respective whips of fire and water, sliding twisting and embracing in ways that made me sure that only lovers, siblings, or very, _very_ close friends could do this.

Then suddenly Appa's overhead and I grab onto the rope hanging from his saddle to give me a boost to air bend myself up. We glide over Amoe and Hai and they scramble to get on.

When we're safely out of range of the fire benders, I turn to the two with stars in my eyes.

"You guys are so cool!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Us?" Hai asks with amusement. "We're not that good at all, we just work well together."

"Yeah, they do bend beautifully, don't they?" asked Katara dreamily.

"Oi! Don't you dare go stealing my sister Hai!" Sokka yells from the from to the flying bison.

"I don't want to Sokka!" Hai yelled back as Katara glared at Sokka.

"You saying my sister isn't worthy of you?" Sokka yelled at Hai with a laugh.

"No, I'm just saying that I have a lovely lady already, and the feast for my eyes your sister gives me shall sadly never be mine," Hai sighs theatrically as he wraps an arm around me and gives me a brief kiss. I laugh and move so I'm sitting on his lap, my fingers coming up to touch the blue carved feathers Hai had given me when we were eight. His arms wrap around me again as Sokka laughs.

"What did you say about me?" Katara asked with a raised eyebrow, and I laugh again.

"So Amoe, how come you're a fire bender while Hai's a water bender?" Aang asked, and every one goes silent.

"Sorry," he mutters into the silent night. "Oi Sokka, get back here, let me steer for a while."

"But -"

"It's okay," I say. "Aang, you should first know about our birth mother. Our tribe took her in when she was heavily pregnant, and she gave birth to us a month after. From what they could tell because of her eyes and my water bending ability, she was a water bender from the North Water Tribe who had been rape. Our real parents have theorised that she was raped by some Fire Nation Officer, before escaping, and being raped by some earth peasant. She was brought to us by an Earth trading ship."

"Oh, thanks for explaining," he said, and I smile at him.

"It's fine."

Then suddenly I double over as I feel my lungs start to fill, I scramble off of Hai's lap and turn to the edge of the saddle and start coughing, my tongue tasting the metallic tang of blood as a commotion broke out behind me, but all I can concentrate on is warmth of the chest against my back, the arm around my waist, the sour smelling breath against my ear telling me I'll be fine, and the scraping against my throat that my coughing causes. After a while the noise subsides, but I ignore it to continue purging the blood from my lungs. When I finally stop, Hai immediately pulls me back up and pulls my shirt off, Sokka looking away from experience as Katara comes over and Hai pulls water from his pouch, making it cover his hands and it started glowing in a way that had soon become familiar after he'd learned it. Beside him, Katara pulled out her water and both pressed it against my skin, making me gasp at the familiar warmth of healing water.

After a while they sat back, and Hai pulled me onto his lap again.

"It was better this time then last time," Katara reported as her water became a stream that flowed sluggishly back into her water pouch.

"Yeah, I didn't have to repair any holes this time," replied Hai as his hands brush through my hair.

My eyes drift closed as I lie against Hai exhausted. My head lies on his shoulder and I can feel his growing in hair tickle my nose.

"Now that she's stopped coughing, what was that?" Aang asked. Everyone looks at each other for a moment, unsure.

"Just tell him you idiots," my sleepy voice commands, and Hai starts, looking down at me.

Hai took a deep breath and started to explain.


	6. Chapter 6

"Amoe was weak at birth, and when we were young, she got the rare Kuroi-Chi disease. It's why I was content with following tradition and learning as much about healing as I could instead of trying to learn about fighting with Katara here, even though men did start fighting with bending when the Fir-Nation started to destroy our tribe," I say as I stare at the water flying by far below us. "Usually her attacks come in patterns, eight smaller ones, and then a really hard one, like that one. Mum and Fa said that they thought that the Northern Water Tribe most likely has benders who could heal it, but we didn't have enough money or supplies to ever send us North. Them Mum died in a Fire Nation attack, and Fa, well she was his life, and he tried for us, but he died next winter from depression. That fighting we did against the fire nation was only because Amoe insisted that I learn to fight."

"Thanks for telling me again," Aang said softly. I look at Amoe's sleeping face with a bitter smile.

"You shouldn't let us slow you down, yes?"

* * *

My eyes flutter open as I hear Appa roar.

"Wait 'til you see it, Katara. The Air Temple is one of the most beautiful places in the world," Aang exclaims.

"Aang, I know you're excited, but it's been a hundred years since you've been home," Katara says from across from me as she sews.

"That's why I'm so excited!" Aang exclaims.

"Aang, I doubt that anyone you know is going to be alive, yet alone that the temples are the same. Remember that I told you all the air benders were killed?" Amoe's voice calls from behind me and I frown, my eyes opening for a second again._ If Amoe's down there, Aang's on the bison's head, and Katara's across from me, not that I think that any of them would sleep on me then . . ._ I push the snoring boy off of me with a yelp.

"Wahmomitet," Sokka mumbles, curling around his boomerang like it was his baby.

"What was that for Amoe?" my yell echos through the valley and sends the birds that had been floating in the water flying.

"I didn't want you to wake up was her reply as I turn to see her . . . braiding Appa's hair.

"I didn't want you whining at me for waking you up when I had to go the bathroom, and Sokka was nearest," my betrothed called from below as she started undoing all of the braids she'd put in.

"What ever," I grumble and start prodding Sokka with my foot. "Wake up Sokka, we're going to the Air Temple now."

"Sleep now . . . Temple later . . ." Sokka grumbled before rolling over and going back to sleep.

I leap down to hug Amoe and give her a kiss so I kiss what ever Aang does to get Sokka up, but the next thing I know Sokka's yelling 'Aaahhh! Get it off! Get it off! Aaahhh!' before there's a hump and Katara starts giggling with Aang laughing with her.

"Great! You're awake. Let's go," Aang says.

"No, no no nonono, _we,_" I use a hand to indicate Amoe and I," Are having breakfast, and that bison is not flying an inch till every one has had at least one mouthful of _something_," I say firmly before turning to our stuff to see what food Sokka and Katara had brought us.

_Five seconds later . . ._

"Why the heck do we only have blubbered jerky, sea prunes, fire weed tea leafs, and dry poaceae porridge?" I yell making the birds that had only just resttled take flight again.


	7. Chapter 7

Once every one had had breakfast (But - yes I know I said at least a bite but - Oh fine! But you better finnish that off and give me back the bowl Aang!), we set off for the Temple.

"The Batola mountain range! We're almost there!" I exclaim. A couple of minutes later we round a mountain to reveal the towers and the long winding pathway of the Southern Air Temple.

"Aang, it's amazing!" Katara exclaims, crawling from her seat to the front of the saddle. A couple of minutes later, we land on one of the wide terraces and I leap off Appa.

"Here we are, the Southern Air Temple!" I exclaim as I help Amoe off the saddle.

"Nice," she says, staring in admiration up the mountain before starting towards her brother. I smile as I run up the road the others had taken and quickly get in front of them. I stop in front of the Air ball field and when every one rounds the bend I wave.

"So that's where my friends and I would play Air Ball!" I tell them as the draw level with me.

"And . . . over there would be where the bison would sleep . . . and . . ." I trail off with a sigh, recognising all of the weeds that the bison should have ate, and the sound of bugs the lemurs should have caught.

"What's wrong Aang?" Amoe asks gently.

"Well, this place used to be full of monks and lemurs and bison. Now there's just a bunch of weeds. You're probably right about the fire nation killing everyone," I say dejectedly. Then I turned my head and muttered. "I really don't see how they could have killed everyone, even if they had the power of a thousand suns. We had flying bisons for Sky's sake, and we would have spotted them long before they even got to our mountain!"

Amoe glanced back at me with a frown. "Aang, while those _are_ rather gaping plot holes in history, I'd bet my life that their death have something to do with this one long path has something to do with that, and you most likely wouldn't have spotted them because of all the fog that covers all of the mountain but the temple. I'd bet that they couldn't get out on the bisons because all of the bisons would be _down at the platform and stables. Some _of the children and monks most likely got out before the temple was over whelmed but the rest didn't make it in time. Besides, aren't you guys nomads? Shouldn't some of you be out of the temples?"

"No, I remember that the temples were being stuffed full because the comet was coming. But the rest of that makes total sence, even if was just to cheer me up, so thanks," I reply.

"Hey Aang," Hai called softly, making me look up and run up to where he was.

"Yeah, what?" I ask. He moved and - I drop to my knees at the sight of the helmet on the body. I reach out to touch it before something makes my pause. A strange calm comes over me as I feel Sokka come and put his hand on my shoulder. "Sokka, where are the bodies?"

"Huh?!"

"The bodies. If they left one of their own here like this, then they defiantly wouldn't give the rights to my people, even if they knew what they were. So where are the bodies?" I ask.

"Oh Aang -" Katara starts.

"Nu-uh," Sokka interrupts. "Aang, I'm betting that someone came through later and gave your people their rights, what ever they are. You see that ledge? It most likely dropped a load of snow on this soldier, making them miss him."

I look up at the ledge and sigh. "I guess you're right."

"Don't worry Aang," Katara said, kneeling down to hug me.

"Yeah, if I found out the South Pole was decimated, I'd be grasping at straws just as desperately," Amoe said. "Besides, remember what I said earlier, some most likely got away, right?"

"Yeah," I say through my tears. "I'm going to find them a soon as I finnish this war!"

* * *

_And that is my way of explaining how the Air Nomads were mostly decimated in one attack without them deserving to die. Each temple will have to get it's own explanation though! - Mountain Sky_


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey guys, I want you too meet someone," Aang calls from in front of a statue.

"Whose that?" Sokka asks.

"Monk Gyatso, the greatest air bender in the world. He taught me everything I know," Aang said, bowing to the statue. I watch as he gets lost in thought, leaving Sokka to poke around.

"You must miss him," Katara says, moving forward to put a hand on his shoulder, making me roll my eyes.

"Yeah," Aang replies, moving forward into the temple.

"So where are we going now?" asks Hai as we follow Aang.

"The Air Temple Sanctuary. There's someone I'm ready to meet," Aang says.

"How delightfully cryptic," I mutter gaining a laugh from Hai.

We approach the entrance to the Air Temple Sanctuary. It's a huge wooden door that is dominated by an enormous woodcut comprised of three air symbols protruding from its surface. They are arranged in a triangular pattern and are attached to tubes that end in two horns near the bottom of the woodcut.

"Aang, there is no way for someone to have survived in there for a hundred years," I say exasperated.

"It's not impossible. I survived in the iceberg for that long," Aang replied.

"Nu-uh, A) you're the Avatar! Surprise! And B) you were in freaking ice! C) you shouldn't be alive for one, and D) this is freaking air!" I say counting it off on my fingers.

"Well - Uh - Good point," Aang says dejectedly. I nod in satisfaction.

"Now open those doors," I say, and everyone looks at me like I'm crazy.

"After that speech, you're telling him to open the doors?" Sokka asks.

"It's like you're trying to simultaneously bring my spirits up and break them," Aang mutters.

"Did it not occur to anyone but us that who ever it was could have written some thing?" Hai asks. Every one looks at each other with a big 'Oh' moment. I laugh. Aang composes himself and draws in his breath. He raises both his arms perpendicular to his body, then suddenly pushes forward with his arms and steps forward with his right leg. He airbends two jets of air, one from each arm, into the horns at the bottom of the woodcut. The air runs through the tubes and one by one flips the air symbols from the blue sides which had been showing to the maroon sides, which had faced the interior of the temple. As each turns, it flips another mechanism on the outside of the door unlock it. The two leaves of the door open to reveal the dark, cavernous interior of the Air Temple Sanctuary.

_"There we go," Hai says in satisfaction and together the group walks forward into the darkness._

Actually that was in my mind.

"I am not going in any dark caverns first," I say and push Aang inside. It turns out that it was actually very bright for being a cavern. I look up at the multiple holes in the ceiling in awe. "Now that took a long time to build."

Then I look down and see statues arrayed in a pattern along and ice blue swirling path way.

"Statues?! That's it? Where's the meat?" Sokka exclaims mournfully.

"Idiot!" Hai hits him on the back of his head. Their words fade into the vastness as I move away. "No one said anything about meat!"

Ahead Aang and Katara are looking at the statues. I hear Katara ask, "Who are all these people?"

"I'm not sure, but it feels like I know them somehow," Aang says uneasily before pointing at a statue. "Look! That one's an air bender!"

"And this one's a water bender. They're lined up in a pattern. Air, water, earth and fire," Katara says pointing at the next one.

"That's the Avatar cycle," Aang says.

"Of course! They're Avatars. All these people are your past lives, Aang," Katara says.

"Wow! There's so many!" Aang says, and I must agree, mentally as I tilt my head back and realise that despite the holes I'm pretty sure that I can't see the ceiling.


	9. Chapter 9

"Past lives? Katara, you really believe in that stuff?" Sokka asked skepticaly, and I whack him over the head.

"When the Avatar dies he's reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle," Amoe says, rolling her eyes. Aang has stopped in front of a statue of a firebender Avatar. A light passes over its eyes. I watch as Katara comes up behind Aang and shakes him by the shoulders.

"Aang, snap out of it!" she calls.

"Huh?" he says dazedly.

"You went all glazed eyed over that statue!" I call helpfully as I hook an arm around Sokka.

"Who is that?" Katara asks.

"That's Avatar Roku, the Avatar before me," Aang replied dazedly.

"You were a firebender? No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met," Sokka stated and I pull him farther out of the spotlight that Katara and Aang seemed to be standing on, a silent Amoe following us.

"Idiot, you aren't helping," I hiss at him.

"There's no writing. How do you know his name?" Katara asks, apparently deciding to ignore out Sokka silence party.

"I - I'm not sure . . ." Aang says uncertainly. "I just knew somehow."

Sokka growls and I hastily cover his mouth. Then Amoe tugs on my arm and points toward the entrance. I turn, perpetualy aware of Aang nd Katara turning too, to see a shadow on the wall. We all duck behind some statues as the shadow advances along the wall.

We're all silent as it creeps closer.

The long eared shadow is right in front of us now, and I yelp as Sokka bites, me, forcing me to release him as he jumps up and points his boomerang at the entrance.

"Lemur!" Aang yells,

"Dinner . . ." Sokka drools as I whipe my hand off.

"Don't listen to him! You're going to be my new pet," Aand says as he runs towards the lumur.

"Not if I get him first!" Sokka replies as he races after Aang.

The lemur hisses at them and bristles like a cat before bolting out of the temple. Aang and Sokka leap after him.

"Wait! Come back!" Aang calls as he darts through the entrance hall.

"I wanna eat you!" Sokka yells, dashing behind Aang. They run back down the hallway from the Temple Sanctuary, chasing after the lemur. Both take turns leading the other. Sokka takes a swipe at Aang's legs with his weapon, but Aang, uses his air bending skills to run along the wall beside Sokka and pass him, laughing as he does. Once far enough ahead, Aang stops, turns, and launches an airball spinning back toward Sokka. It hits him in the stomach and knocks him off his feet, like a bowling ball hitting one lone pin.

"Oof," Sokka grunts. The lemur jumps up onto the guardrail of a balcony, looks back as Aang approaches, and then jumps off the guardrail. Aang jumps after him laughing, and I curse as I make a u-turn and start sprinting towards the stairs, far behind Amoe as she reaches the bottom, Katara following as they run toward where Aang disappeared. The building is blown appart and I can see Amoe and Katara stumble back.

I hit the bottom of the stairs just in time to hear Katara yelling, "What happened?"

"His avatar spirit,"Amoe murmurs as I draw even with her.

"I'm going to try and calm him down!" Katara yells at us, before starting forward.

"Well do it before he blows us all off the mountain!" Sokka yells back at her.

"Really!" I yell at him. "Your sister says she'd about to do somrthing potentialy life-threatening, and that's all you tell her?"

Sokka glances back before shrugging. "You want to be blown off the mountain? I thought not!"


	10. Chapter 10

"Aang, I know you're upset!" Katara yells.

"Aang, I knew you were an optimist, but this is too much," I suddenly yell, straining against the winds. "The only people you can honestly expect to live till a hundred and twelve are Earth benders! And even then it's practically impossible!"

"I know how it's hard to lose people you love. I went through the same thing when I lost my mom," Katara yells. "Monk Gyatso and the others may be gone, but you still have family. You have me and Sokka!"

"And me and Hai!" I yell. Then my breath stops and I feel my throat start closing on me. I drop to my knees, coughing, and fall to my side. There isn't any bowl or railing to hold onto any more. I note the wind stopping in the back of my mind as Hai turns me so the blood that had pooled in my mouth slowly flows out. Then voices are calling my name, but my throat is clear now. I push myself up and spit the last of the blood out and blink at the four worried faces looking at me.

"What?" I ask softly, my hand coming up to wipe my mouth. "You know I've got seven more before another big attack."

Aang's eyes are all teary as he starts to blubber, "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault, you told my earlier, I should have expected it, I'm so sorry-"

"It's fine," I say, holding up a hand. Then I turn to Hai, his contrasting eyes staring worried at me. "Carry me?"

The swirling in his eyes slows as they soften, taking my out stretched hand and kissing it. "Certainly."

* * *

I smile at Momo from my spot on the saddle still a little tiered as always after the first small attack after a small one. The lemur was curled against me, nibbling a nut, and I slowly reach out to stroke him, my mind wandering. I look up as Sokka sighs.

"You have no idea where you're going, do you?" he asks exasperatedly.

"Weeell, I know it's near water," Aang says from his position on Appa's head.

"Great," says Hai flatly with a dark look around. "I guess we're getting close then."

I look up as Katara pulls a bundle of clothing out of one of the packs and starts to sew a rip. I abandon my petting of Momo to grab a piece and start sewing.

I look up when Aang pulls on the reigns, making Appa glide down to a crecent shaped island that had been hidden by clouds that parted conveniently as we lowered. I finish the sewing on the summer tunic, tying a knot and cutting the string with my teeth just before we land I jump off Appa and onto the grainy sand. I take a deep breath and laugh, spinning and making the skirt of my long green dress flare as I take in the smells and colors.

"It's beautiful!" I call.

"We just made a pit stop yesterday," Sokka says exasperated. "Shouldn't we get a littlemore flying done before camping?"

"He's right. At this rate we won't get to the North Pole until spring," Katara remarks.

"Oi! I'm supposed to be the pessimistic voice of reason!"I yell at them.

"What ever," Sokka grumbles as Hai mutters darkly.

Suddenly Aang gasps and points to the water. I twist just in time to see the giant Koi leap out. "Look! That's why we're here."

Aang strips to his underwear and I quickly turn. "Elephant Koi! And I'm gonna ride one! You guys gotta watch me!"

I do watch, unimpressed as a second after he leaps in, he leap out with a loud yelp of "Cold!"


End file.
